AUSTAR mine collapse victim Phillip Grant never said as much outright but from what he did mention about working deep beneath the Hunter Valley coalfields his friends knew he was always “worried”.

“He mentioned a few things. I can’t think of anything specific but I think just being underground worried him,” friend and neighbour Aleisha Eslick said.

“You couldn’t not be worried about it.”

Like so many in Stradbroke Ave, and indeed the rest of Metford on the outer fringe of Maitland, Ms Eslick kept a silent vigil this morning as word of his tragic death rippled through the tight knit community.

“I’ve been out here waiting for him to come home but the lady across the road said it was him,” she said.

“He was such a nice guy, always watching out for people in the street.”

“Our thoughts are with the families, colleagues and friends of the two employees in this tragic incident,” Mr Schmidt said.

AusStar coal mine in the Hunter Valley.Source: Supplied

“The safety and wellbeing of all Austar Coal Mine employees and contractors is of primary concern and we are currently providing on-the-ground support to the families of the two employees and our other employees and contractors.”

Mr Schmidt said Yancoal would continue to work closely with emergency services and the regulator.

POLICE RELEASE NEW DETAILS SURROUNING THE INCIDENT

Central Hunter local area commander Garry O’Dell said the collapse occurred about 500m underground, 10km into the mine.

The two men killed had been on the afternoon shift and were “some hours” into their normal work when tragedy struck.

Superintendent O’Dell predicted it could be “a number of days” before crews could recover the two bodies, due to the amount of collapsed rubble and machinery blocking access.

“Obviously we need to make sure that safety is ensured for all persons,” he said.

“Once the site is inspected and safety is ensured, then recovery can begin.”

Immediate family members had been informed but police were still working to ensure extended family were aware of the tragedy.

CFMEU mining representative Grahame Kelly told ABC radio this morning that the 2003 incident at the mine “was a number of years ago” and under a previous operator.

Mr Kelly said the industry was “highly regulated” and that there were staff in place “who’s pure role” was to look after the safety of miners underground.

“The matter here from our perspective at the end of the day is that a couple of miners have been killed, which is a difficult and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those two members and also their workmates,” Mr Kelly said.

Emergency services continue to arrive at the mine site following last night’s collapse. Picture: Bill HearneSource: News Corp Australia

Mr Kelly said a district chief inspector was on-site last night assisting state authorities with investigations.

He said there was a wall with over 1800 names of miners killed in Hunter Valley coal mines.

“The good thing is in the more recent past we haven’t had too many names on the wall,” he said.

“Unfortunately this year this will be our third person to go on the wall which is not a great outcome.”

HOW THE MINE OPERATES

The mine is run by Yancoal Australia, an Australian-Chinese partnership, and is located about 8km from Cessnock.

Their website says the mine operates to a depth of up to 530m with the coal seams 1300m long and 220m wide.

The mine, previously known as Southland Coal, employs over 400 staff.

It has one of the largest coal reserves in the world and produces 3 million tonnes annually.

On Tuesday, the ASX-listed Yancoal reported heavy financial losses on its mine assets because of port and rail contracts that had been locked-in until 2018, exceeding its projected coal production.

It reported a loss after tax of $832 million to December 31 and its share price closed at 39 cents yesterday. It made a $375 million profit in 2012.